Randy Lyon: Lake Nona developer supported school, hospital

Thousands of people have Randy Lyon to thank for their neighborhood or favorite vacation resort.

The developer behind Lake Nona and other properties around the world, Lyon died Monday of complications from polymyositis, an autoimmune disorder. He was 64.

"Randy was a developer. But he was one of the good guys," said former Orange County mayor Linda Chapin, a friend of Lyon's for more than 20 years. "Randy wanted to build a sense of community into everything he did, and not just build streets and houses. He set a high bar for development in Central Florida."

One of the Orlando resident's proudest accomplishments was NorthLake Park Community School, which combines a school, fitness center and park. Lyon spearheaded the effort, put the money on the line and got the school built with several public and private partners.

Lyon also served for more than a decade on the board of the Orlando Health Foundation and was particularly passionate about the trauma center at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

His family is asking that donations in Lyon's name be directed there.

He saw the trauma center as essential to the region's development.

"In order to have a real, bona-fide, grown-up city, you have to have this level of medical expertise," Chapin explained. "Businesses look to it."

Lyon's wife of 40 years, Andrea, said he was always a leader, even serving as student-body president at Rollins College.

"He was the most unselfish, giving, kind person you could ever meet," she said. For her 29th birthday, he adapted a radio play for her and had family members and friends perform it.

"I wanted to live up to the example he was setting," said his younger son, Austin Lyon, who said his father was known for his intelligence, public-speaking skills and work ethic.

And he reveled in being a father and grandfather.

He would sit on the floor and listen to his grandsons describe the inner workings of the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading-card game "and loved every second of it," Austin said.

An Atlanta native, Randy Lyon spent most of his life in Florida. He graduated from high school in West Palm Beach and attended Rollins, where he majored in math and got an MBA. After starting a real-estate career in Sarasota, he, his wife and two sons relocated to Hawaii, where he led the development of several prominent properties, including Four Seasons Resort Lana'i at Manele Bay and the Lodge at Koele in Hawaii.

After that, his focus returned to Central Florida, where he spent 11 years developing Lake Nona, which is expected to house 10,000 people at build-out.

After that, he worked on the Reunion Resort & Club in Osceola County and Bella Collina in Lake County, as well as the property that includes the Gaylord Palms. He also traveled abroad, working on projects in Australia, New Zealand, Dubai and Asia, family members said.

In addition to his wife and younger son, who lives in Orlando, Lyon is survived by son Andrew, two grandsons, his mother and two brothers.